Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Excuses, excuses!

This is the fifth day that I've operated on less than four hours of sleep. But as soon as the Little Dude goes down to sleep, I will carry on. You see, even lack of sleep isn't a reason to make me stop writing. Admittedly, when I was unpublished I annoyed and frightened my friends with my determination to write. I wrote during my lunch hour, wrote into my handheld tape recorder in traffic, wrote at work (oh yes I did!) - or, ran into the bathroom at work to jot an idea or a bit of dialogue - wrote through achy shoulders and burning eyeballs.

But then there was Mardi Gras of 2002. I took that first draft of Hot Tamara with me to New Orleans and editted it, so I wouldn't lose any time before I had to go back to work. Yes folks, that was how annoying I was and well, still am.

My plan tonight is to jump back into chapter 11 and work in a great idea I had while I was in the shower. I was going to start chapter 12, but this supporting character is taking a life of her own and I'm trying to tame her.

But I don't want you to miss an excellent, funny piece on excuses and why they just don't cut it. Go read Dana's Reasons Why Not and then get back to work!

Mary

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey, I'm right there with you. I'm off to put on the coffee pot ... oh the suffering we do for our noble art!

Erica Orloff said...

Hi Mary:
No excuses, Just Do It . . . the Nike philosophy of writing. :-)
I have four kids ranging from the hormonally insane 15-year-old, nearly 16 . . . down to 11 months old. For two nights now, baby has not slept. I am in full-on zombie, Dawn of the Dead Mother Mode. But you know . . . it's still the best damn job in the world. That I CAN stay in my pjs and re-read my chapters and have a job where I make stuff up for a living? I mean, how awesome is that? It's 21 books later or thereabouts, and I still think it's cool.
Feel better. Hope the java helps.
E

Dana Diamond said...

Mary, if it's the character I'm thinking of, I want to see those outtakes! :)

Erica, I love that Just Do It motto. There's another one I think of when I hit a wall:

"Eddie Would Go"

It's a surfer motto about a legendary big-wave rider, Eddie Aiku that went out no matter what.

I think it was Quicksilver that finally put it on a bumper sticker.

Erica Orloff said...

Dana . . .
I adore that!
Step Into Liquid was an amazing surfer documentary . . . and I have a newfound repsect for surfers--the big wave riders. I'll have to remember that motto.

SuzLue said...

Isn't writing part of your soul? Part of who you are, makes you, you? As a reader, never a writer, I can feel it when a writer is a real writer, and not just someone that wanted to list it on their resume. Your hard work and dedication is proven in your work. It makes your stories real. Keep up the excellent work!

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